People living in the province’s North now have a place to take their beverage containers, paint, and electronics.

The new SARCAN recycling depot, located in Buffalo Narrows, will serve approximately 9,000 people from the communities of Buffalo Narrows, Ile-a-la-Crosse, Beauval, La Loche, Dillon, Birch Narrows, Clearwater, and surrounding areas.

Related: SARCAN to open depot in Buffalo Narrows

Its official grand opening celebration was held at the end of June. Decorated with recycled beverage containers, there was a Canadian flag, a Metis Nation flag and G-R-A-N-D  O-P-E-N-I-N-G spelled out in cans hanging across the ceiling. Numerous dignitaries joined the community for the event: Buckley Belanger, MLA for Athabasca; Jackie Derocher, Buffalo Narrows Deputy Mayor; Bonnie Aubichon, Buffalo Narrows Economic Development Corporation Manager; Dean Villeneuve, Clarence Campeau Development Fund Business Development Specialist and Amy McNeil, SARC/SARCAN Recycling Executive Director.

(L to R): Amy McNeil, Executive Director of SARC/SARCAN Recycling; Buckley Belanger, MLA for Athabasca; Chris Campbell, SARCAN Depot Supervisor; Jackie Derocher, Buffalo Narrows Deputy Mayor; Cheryl Chartier, SARCAN Recycling Technician, Chantelle Diakuw, SARCAN Northwest Regional Manager; and, Cindy McCallum, SARCAN Cashier.

In addition to providing recycling services to that part of the province, there have been employment opportunities: seven local jobs were created. SARCAN says it is important as a company to hire Aboriginal people whenever they can; it already has two depots, Fort Qu’Appelle and La Ronge, that are staffed and run entirely by Aboriginal people.

The depot will be quite large, as over three million beverage containers are projected to be returned to the new depot every year. And in fact, the depot has already far exceeded any expectations that were set out before it opened. In just two short months, the depot collected one million beverage containers, and in just another month and a half, another million. Laid end to end, these two million containers would be enough to take you from Buffalo Narrows to La Loche and back again!

SARCAN says the enterprise is a community-building partnership and was a successful venture through a partnership with the Town of Buffalo Narrows, the Buffalo Narrows Economic Development Corporation and the Clarence Campeau Development Fund.